Madhya Pradesh’s infrastructure is going to get a major improvement. The work on the Bhopal-Indore High-Speed Expressway is progressing rapidly. This new six-lane road will be built on completely new land instead of widening old roads. It will start from Bhopal’s Western Ring Road and reach Indore’s MR-10 and pass through about seven tehsils of Bhopal, Sehore and Dewas districts.
This expressway will connect Bhopal to Sehore via Ichhawar and go to Dewas via Hatpiplya and Bagli. Bypassing Dewas city will reduce the problem of traffic jams in urban areas. According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the distance from Bhopal Western Bypass to Indore MR-10 will be 148-150 km, while the existing route is 195 km long.
This road will reduce the distance between the two cities by about 50 km from 188 km to 146 km. The high-speed design will reduce travel time from 3.5-4 hours to 1.5-2 hours. The expressway will start from Itaya Kalan village on Bhopal bypass and reach Karnawad on NH-59A and pass through Bhopal, Raisen, Sehore and Dewas districts. Towns like Sehore, Ichhawar and Ashta will be connected by link roads.
This upcoming expressway is one of the most important projects in Madhya Pradesh. It is being given priority keeping in mind the movement of lakhs of devotees during the 2028 Ujjain Simhastha Kumbh Mela. This high-speed road will help in smoothly controlling heavy traffic and making travel easier for passengers and tourists.
The project is being developed on the Bharatmala Highway model. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a tender to prepare a detailed project report, which is currently awaiting approval from the Ministry of Road Transport. Construction work will begin as soon as final approval is received.
The faster movement of goods and passengers will attract more investment in industrial centres like Mandideep and Mhow and new industries will be developed along the route. The reduced travel time will also enable tourists to easily explore the historical and cultural sites in and around the two cities. The highway will also promote new townships, business clusters and theme-based development schemes.
